Errigal Ciaran Claims Ulster Title After 22-Year Wait, McCartan’s Late Scores Decisive

Peter Og McCartan, the match-winner for Errigal Ciaran, acknowledged that he is not typically recognized for his scoring ability, but he believed this made his remarkable injury-time point “even sweeter” as the club secured its first Ulster club SFC title in 22 years. The wing-back contributed two crucial points in the final quarter, enabling the Tyrone champions to clinch a late victory over favored Kilcoo with a score of 1-8 to 0-10 in Sunday’s Ulster final, held at the Athletic Grounds. His brave shot deep into stoppage time ultimately became the winning score, surprising no one more than McCartan himself. “Ah, it’s madness. I just knew once I got the ball I was going for it,” he stated. “There wasn’t long left so I pulled the trigger and it was straight over. I don’t know how I did it. It’s not often I kick two, to be honest. I’m just delighted. We kept having one-point wins and stuff this year, and to win the final by a point you couldn’t write it, it’s the stuff of dreams.” Errigal Ciaran, now the new Ulster champions, is scheduled to face Kerry and Munster champions Dr Crokes in the All-Ireland semi-final on 4 January. Peter Og McCartan was seen celebrating after the final whistle, following his dramatic injury-time winner for Errigal Ciaran. Ruairi Canavan, who had scored 0-9 in the Ulster semi-final victory against Armagh champions Clann Eireann, was anticipated to receive significant attention from the Kilcoo defense and was effectively contained throughout the match. Similarly, his brother and Errigal captain, Darragh Canavan, was also closely marked by Kilcoo players attempting to neutralize their offensive threat, with the pair collectively managing just 0-1. In previous games this year, Errigal’s supporting players have stepped up, and this pattern continued at the Athletic Grounds, with goalscorer Joe Oguz and particularly McCartan assuming responsibility for securing scores. Captain Darragh Canavan commended his teammate for delivering essential points during critical moments. “When Peter Og McCartan kicks two points from play you know it’s going to be a good day,” he remarked. “It’s a special feeling. We’re definitely going to enjoy it the next few days.”